The Innovative Uses of Mind Matters to Promote Youth & Family Well-Being This webinar will describe implementation approaches, including adaptations, of Mind Matters across diverse populations and settings, including traditional school, alternative schools for at risk students/young adults, residential treatment for youth, community-based organizations, and college campuses. The presenters will then review data collected from a series of grants/research projects evaluating Mind Matters with a focus on the impact on knowledge of trauma, trauma related coping skills, PTSD symptoms, resilience, and social skills. This discussion will also include various evaluation strategies and guidance on how to gather essential data for continuous quality improvement and documentation of impact. Lastly, the presenters will share emerging opportunities for applications of Mind Matters to new populations and issues including parents and children affected by the opioid epidemic, racial trauma, and supports for refugee/immigrant youth and families. Objectives: Participants will be able to: Describe implementation strategies and adaptations of Mind Matters across diverse populations…
Social Work
Lopsided Love: Asymmetrical Commitment in Romantic Relationships One of the greatest insights on lopsided commitment came from sociologist Willard Waller in 1936, when he described the “principle of least interest,” defined in this way: “That person is able to dictate the conditions of association whose interest in the continuation of the affair is least.’’ Analogously, the person who is most committed has the least power in a relationship. There is a growing and robust literature on asymmetrical commitment, with studies showing that it is associated not only with poor relationship dynamics but also specific personal characteristics such as attachment difficulties. Dr. Scott Stanley and Dr. Galena Rhoades have published numerous papers on this topic. In this talk, they will describe what’s up with lopsided love. Objectives: Participants will: Learn about the nature and consequences of asymmetrically committed romantic relationships regarding relationship quality, relationship stability, and risks for aggression. Be able…
Have you ever wondered what difference having an all male or all female* or co-ed group makes for youth outcomes? Well, so did John Lewis of Urban Strategies. John leads the collaborative, FuturoNow, which is delivering Love Notes SRA to approximately 1,300 youth annually targeting nine, majority-Latino neighborhoods of Los Angeles County that have teen birth rates far above state and national average. As part of their grant, FuturoNow is conducting a descriptive study to compare differences between implementing Love Notes with all male, all female, and co-ed groups. In this webinar you will learn what they learned about outcomes, outreach, and other key takeaways through surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews. *Self-identified Objectives: Participants will learn: How male and female youth experienced Love Notes in gender-based cohorts including what they liked and disliked Two strategies to increase recruitment and retention of male and female youth in by hosting these…
Researchers from Child Trends using the Social Genome Model (SGM) explored how preventing births to teenagers would alter the lives of youth over time. The results show education, economic, and health benefits associated with preventing births to teens – findings that lead to an important question. How is childbearing among teenagers best prevented? Join Dr. Kristin Moore and Alison McClay as they share decades of experience with varied approaches and highlight how wisdom about preventing teen births has accumulated over time. Information is important, services are important, but motivation is important as well. The presentation will also describe how intervention approaches have evolved over time and outline considerations for future research and programs, including an overview of El Camino, a research-based sexual health promotion program developed by Child Trends. Objectives: Participants will be able to: Discuss the implications of teenage childbearing; Describe varied approaches used to discourage sexual activity and…
WEBINAR: Co-Regulation Strategies: Practical Tools for Program Staff to Foster Youth Self-Regulation
What is co-regulation? Why does it matter? How can I integrate co-regulation into my program or practice? Join interventionist and nurse-educator Aly Frei to explore co-regulation, its importance for youth development, and its potential to improve program outcomes. Co-regulation is a term that helps describe the important interactions between adults and young people that foster youth self-regulation. Self-Regulation is a central ingredient in lifelong success, predicting healthy relationships, economic self-sufficiency, and physical and emotional well-being. Because of rapid change in youths’ brains and bodies, adolescence is an important time for adults to promote self-regulation development. Through co-regulation, adults form relationships where youth feel cared for and known; co-create safe and nurturing environments; and give youth opportunities to practice self-regulation skills and reflect on how to apply them in their lives. Integrating co-regulation strategies into youth service delivery is a promising approach for improving program implementation and youth outcomes. Objectives: Webinar…
This session offers a practical approach for using a strong, prioritized learning agenda to organize a team’s evidence-building activities and support data-driven decision-making to support program success. A learning agenda is a set of questions that guide an organization’s evidence-building strategy and activities. It builds on an organization’s program and theory of change and strategy by prioritizing the learning questions that inform continuous improvement. Prioritization of questions and activities for a learning agenda should be aligned with organizational values, strategic objectives, developmental stage, and prior evidence level. A learning agenda is not static, and is not an end in itself. Rather, it is a means to surface evidence for decision-making. Objectives: Webinar participants will: Become familiar with learning agendas. Learn how to turn a learning agenda into a strategic learning plan. Understand how to use that plan to create action and inform decisions. Presenter: Gabriel Rhoads, Managing Director of Evaluation Services, Project…
The multiple pandemics of public health, racism, and climate change have created tremendous disruption across all institutions. Chances are your organization innovated its approach in ways you might want to keep and it is likely the post-pandemic future will not look like the past. Scenario tools can amplify diverse voices and help organizations and communities envision multiple futures in times of uncertainty. Scenario tools surface risks and opportunities to guide the adaptation of programs and operations. This session will teach practitioners the basics of scenario planning and provide a tool to guide responsive planning during times of rapid change. Objectives: Webinar participants will learn: How to compose a scenario planning team to ensure equity and benefit from diverse perspectives. How to use a scenario planning tool to surface key uncertainties and possible futures. How to embed scenario planning as a skill to enhance organizational nimbleness. Presenters: Sarah Di Troia, Senior Advisor, Project…
Project Evident strives to put practitioners in the driver’s seat when it comes to building evidence for their programs. This doesn’t mean they need to become statisticians or data wizards. Even small programs without data expertise can run small tests of change to continuously improve—and build evidence for—their programs. This webinar will give a practical overview to get you started on continuous improvement. Objectives: Webinar attendees will: Learn how to identify problems and measure targets for continuous improvement. Go through a working example of root cause analysis as a tool for identifying and prioritizing potential changes. Gain guidance in assessing changes, qualitatively and quantitatively Presenters: Gregor Thomas, Project Evident, Director of Data and Evidence Science, Mississippi Who should attend: All organization leaders responsible for overseeing and measuring effective program delivery, i.e. program directors, program managers, facilitators, and evaluators. When: Wednesday, October 14, 2020, 4:00 pm Eastern/1:00 pm Pacific Duration: 60…
Early family contexts can shape the trajectories of children’s adjustment throughout childhood. Families can provide a safe and stable base for children that is protective against adversity. However, when family environments are not stable (e.g., when parents/parent figures are moving in and out of the home), children may suffer. Join Dr. Elizabeth Karberg of Child Trends, as she explores how family instability in early childhood shapes children’s social (mal)adjustment over time. Objectives: How families in America are changing and what are common contexts for children’s early family experiences. Whether instability in families is linked with children’s social outcomes. Why instability in families is linked with children’s social outcomes. What this means for programming and interventions to support children’s positive development. Presenter: Elizabeth Karberg, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, Child Trends Resources: April 2020 Webinar PPT Child Trends Brief April 2020 Additional Resources Q&A from the Webinar
Becky Antle, Ph.D., Professor of Social Work and esteemed University Scholar at the University of Louisville, won The Dibble Institute’s national competition to evaluate Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience in 2019. As a result, Dr. Antle and her colleagues are conducting a randomized control trial to examine the impact of Mind Matters on a host of outcomes related to youths’ emotional regulation, anxiety, interpersonal skills, and resilience. Join the researchers on this project as they discuss their initial findings from the pilot of Mind Matters with high needs youth in the Louisville community. They will focus on youth-related outcomes, lessons learned, and tips for implementing the Mind Matters curriculum. Objectives: Specifically, webinar attendees will learn: 1. How Mind Matters is being implemented and evaluated in the pilot 2. How Mind Matters is making a difference with the youth being served. Presenter: Becky Antle, Ph.D., MSSW, MFTA, Professor and University Scholar, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY….
Join the staff from Project Rise as they share with you how they are successfully engaging the Latino community including youth and their parents in healthy relationship skills programming. Project Rise is utilizing Relationship Smarts PLUS (Sexual Risk Avoidance Adaptation) to prevent teen pregnancy, reduce associated risk behaviors, and promote healthy adolescent development among Latino teens aged 12-18. They are working in four neighborhoods of Los Angeles County where measures of sexual risk are significantly higher than the national average. In focus groups the young people reported learning: Communication and relationships skills including ways to speak with family and friends as well as controlling their anger How to be self-reflective including understanding infatuation vs true love and effective decision making skills Ways to talk with their parents or a trusted adult about sex and healthy relationships. Presenters: John Lewis, Southern California Director, Urban Strategies Guillermo Pichardo, Youth Advocate, Catalyst SGV Who Should Attend:…
Young people who have experienced trauma and toxic stress, such as child abuse and neglect, often have difficulty regulating their emotional responses when facing challenges in school, life, and relationships. Thus, Dr. Carolyn Curtis developed Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience, a research-based curriculum effective in helping youth overcome adverse and traumatic childhood experiences. In this webinar, Dr. Carolyn Curtis, will discuss her new addendum to the Mind Matters curriculum. In this guidance, the content of Mind Mattersis divided into 15- to 20-minute segments that can now be taught in one-on-one settings. With these adjustments, the Mind Matters curriculum can now be used for home visitors, mentors, and case workers, as well as anyone who works with young people in a one-on-one setting. Join us in this informative and interactive webinar as we learn about the new, additional approach at implementing the Mind Matters program! Presenter: Carolyn Rich Curtis, Ph.D., Developer of Mind Matters, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Founder of the…
Recruiting and appealing to young adults ages 18-24 can be challenging for a multitude of reasons. In this webinar, Vanessa Logan describes her unique “boots on the ground” approach for how to build trust with marginalized young adults and consequently is able to provide them with tools to develop self-sufficiency. Integrated into her approach is the essential building of healthy relationship skills with pregnant and parenting youth, empowering them to successfully parent or even co-parent when no longer together. With a heart for people, Vanessa identifies critical needs of the underserved and builds bridges by partnering with organizations and community initiatives to uncover resources and move others toward economic mobility and self-sufficiency. Vanessa has a voice in the community for what makes a community thrive: it’s people. Objectives: Through the example of Vanessa Logan webinar attendees will learn to: Recruit young adults 18-24 years old into Healthy Relationship programming; Build…